Butter-ham
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A slice of buttered bread. obsolete
"Faith, I was within ams-ace of being found out ; for one night at a mum-house, where I was eating a butter-ham and pickled herrings, with some of the states, and where I was giving my self airs of greatness and interest in my country, swearing I myself would take care that my country, and three counties round about me, should choose none but hearty Whigs."
- 2 One of two strips of trim on either side of a cloak. archaic
"A cloak, half a yard shorter than the Breeches, not through lin'd, but fac'd as far as 'twas turned back, with a pair of frugal butter-hams."
- 3 a person who is overly ostentatious in their dress or actions. North, Yorkshire
Example
More examples"Faith, I was within ams-ace of being found out ; for one night at a mum-house, where I was eating a butter-ham and pickled herrings, with some of the states, and where I was giving my self airs of greatness and interest in my country, swearing I myself would take care that my country, and three counties round about me, should choose none but hearty Whigs."
Etymology
From butter + ham, a calque of Dutch boterham.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.